Greatest Country Songs of All Time

Though country music evolves with each generation, the genre’s ability to tell evocative, emotional stories is second to none—a great country song can contain a whole world in just a few minutes. Though it’s an American genre through and through, country music was Australia’s first major musical export—the first international hit song was Slim Dusty’s 1957 song “A Pub With No Beer”—and local stars are as loved and listened to as the headline names from afar. Told through an Australian lens, this unranked playlist documents 100 of the greatest country songs of all time. You’ll find titans of each generation of the genre, from George Jones to Waylon Jennings to Dolly Parton to Kacey Musgraves, and more international stars who’ve found huge audiences in Australia, such as The Chicks, Carrie Underwood and Brooks & Dunn. You’ll also find those who’ve defined Australian country music and its distinct sounds, from Lee Kernaghan and Kasey Chambers to Troy Cassar-Daley and Morgan Evans.